Organization: Bridgit
Industry: Software as a Service/Construction
Contact: Laura Brodie, Director of Marketing and Communications, info@gobridgit.com
Web references: Bridgit, HubSpot, The Next 36
A Canadian high-tech startup called Bridgit is trying to hang more smartphones on construction workers’ tool belts.
Formed in 2012 Bridgit, based in Kitchener, Ont., is the brainchild of Mallorie Brodie and Lauren Hasegawa. At the time, they were students at Western University: Brodie was studying entrepreneurship at the Richard Ivey School of Business and Hasegawa was a civil structural engineering student.
They teamed up as part of The Next 36 program for young innovators.
The duo decided to create software that enabled construction project managers, contractors and subcontractors track and resolve deficiencies such as holes in drywall, chipped paint and any other work that needs to be fixed before it can be signed off as completed.
The product, called Closeout, can be used on Android platforms, and on Apple and BlackBerry devices.
BRIDGIT TARGETS INFLUENCERS
According to a recent story in the Globe and Mail, the company has more than 600 customers using its products.
And monthly subscriptions are growing by 20 per cent month-over-month, said Laura Brodie, the company’s director of marketing.
The company — currently focusing on condominium developers in Toronto — spreads the word about its products through a number of social media channels including its website and blog, Twitter and LinkedIn. (Facebook is used sparingly to communicate with family, and friends in the tech industry).
Instead of using its social media strategy to target contractors, Laura Brodie said Bridgit tries to attract the attention of construction industry influencers such as national and local construction associations and groups that are interested in construction industry technology trends.
On its website, Bridgit maintains a blog and distributes e-books that it publishes on industry topics.
Tweets about industry subjects include links back to Bridgit’s blog posts in an effort to drive traffic to the company website and, eventually, turn potential customers into paying subscribers.
“So when we think of social (media), we just really think of it as another channel to bring people into that pipeline,” Laura Brodie said.
RAPID TESTING and TWEAKING TACTICS
Laura Brodie said she doesn’t pour a lot of energy into social media, but she uses metrics to track traffic and tweak her marketing tactics.
For example, after someone signs up as a new customer, Brodie can track how the new customer first connected online with Bridgit — whether by clicking on a link in a tweet or from LinkedIn. She can also track whether the website visitor became a blog subscriber and eventually downloaded the free trial before deciding to pay for the service.
But more often, Laura Brodie says she uses social media metrics for rapid testing. She gauges which tactics are resonating with blog readers and, in turn, are driving traffic to the website.
For example, blog posts about drones seem to be drawing a lot of interest lately, so Bridgit is writing and posting more stories about drones.
While different products can be used to track metrics of different online activities, Laura Brodie uses a marketing software called HubSpot to manage search traffic; search engine optimization; free trial downloads; social media publishing and monitoring.
“So it’s really pretty comprehensive,” she said.
MOVING BEYOND RETWEETS
Laura Brodie says at some point she will have exhausted some methods for contacting construction industry influencers, so she will have to change tactics.
When it comes to engaging in conversations through Twitter, she said social media marketers can go beyond the traditional tweet and retweet interactions. She noted that there is software that enables Bridgit to identify people online who might be interested in construction technology industry trends — and potentially Closeout — by homing in on their bios or specific tweets that include relevant keywords.
“If you’re able to identify those kinds of metrics, then you can really scale your social media strategy a lot faster,” she said.
LESSONS LEARNED
- Consolidate your metrics as much as possible. While different software products can be used to track different social media activities, Bridgit has found HubSpot to be a comprehensive tool for social media management and metrics.
- Look for software that can automate the process of connecting with industry influencers and potential customers.
- Use metrics to track how new customers first became interested in your product so you can decide how to apply your labour to increase the success of future marketing activities.
Contact the author, Mirko Petricevic, at contact.mirko@gmail.com
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